Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-23
FOLLOWERS OF THE CIRCUS.


Miscellaneous Crowd 81 wtndie
That Followed the Old Time Shows.
Some years age every circus had its
train of camp followers, side show men.
monte sharps, thimble rigstrs, short
change operators and miscellaneous scala
wags, which most managers sold licenses
10, to carry on their operations on she
grounds hired by the circus. Some men
advertised privileges for sale. and would
negotiate with three card monte sharps or
ANYBODY else who proposed To do any
thing to the public short of murder.
Circus men who remember when all
their travelling was done in wagons tell
queer stories about a certain old time
manager. They do declare that he sold
the exclusive right of robbing clothes
lines ON the route, and agreed 10 prevent
ANYBODY else with the show from poach-
ing upon that preserve. To another he
accorded the gains Of going under the
seats during the performance and pick
ing up the pocketbooks, handkerchiefs
and other articles dropped by spectators.
II is said that a professional pickpocket
paid him I 1000 and a percentage for the
right to work the crowd after the show
was out. The circus man made him
promise ON his professional honor not 10
tackle anybody around the ticket wagon,
OF before the opening Of the show, as he
wanted 10 get his legitimate profit out OF
their pockets first and also give the other
fakirs q fair chance. Sometimes this
man got bankrupt in a bad season, and
his outfit would be sold by sheriff. The
next year he would start again without
a cent, sell privileges to the fakirs to get
a little capital, buy some old circus prop
erty. patch up a show and take to the
road again. He usually found it desir-
able TO change the name of his circus
and disguise the outfit when going over
a route the second time.
THAT was the kind of thing that hurt
the business and gave circuses generally
a bad name,' says an old Snowman.
People got so that they expected TO be
swindled if they vent e a circus tent.
They never could tell which was the
regular ticket office. because there were
so many fakirs selling tickets and giving
short change. That was about the simplest
and most successful way of swindling
the public, and there were several varia-
tons worked on il. One was TO double
up a bill in a pile so that both ends would
count. Another was to keep 81 note
concealed in the hand ready for an
emergency, and when somebody handed
up a ten the fakir would look at it, say
he couldn't change a ten, and hand back
the one which he had dexterously subs.i-
tuted for the ten. The victim, not hav-
ing seen the sleight of hand. would
pocket the bill without looking al ii in
the crowd, and pass on to the next ticket
stand. He would hand up the bill there,
get his ticket and begin clamoling for his
change. lie would swear that he gave a
ten and The ticket man, of course, would
swear he didn't. Then there would lie a
row, ard the fakir who stole the ten
wouldn't be in it.
l once saw a man 60 up to a ticket
seller four times, hand him a so bill each
time and get only s. change instead Of
the So TO which he was entitled. After
tn, last time he said 10 the fakir: I've
been here four times with $40 bills and
you've beaten me out of 81 every time.
Now, will you tell me how you do it,
The fakir cheerfully said he would and
showed the trick. The victim didn't de-
mand his money back. He only wanted
10 learn the game in order to play it him
self. and he considered the information
cheap at s.. But that business doesn I
pay in the long run. The shows that en-
courage II and have a gang Of takirs
around all the time. finally go to pieces.
The people won't go near them and they
don't draw a good class. No reputable
manager wants his patrons robbed, and
nowadays the most fragrant taking is 10
be found only among the snap shows
that work the country districts and the
south. Barnum goes so far as TO pro-
hibit even the selling Of lemonade. pea
nuts and song books in the tent, and
there are no privilege men outside. He
finds that it pays to keep his show clear
Of even the suspicion Of fakirs. and the
other showmen are coming around to his
plan.
l once knew a circus manager to sell
a bogus blind beggar privilege to a fakir,
and the fellow collected a pretty good
revenue On the grounds and whacked mp
with the manager. But the queerest ar
rangement ! ever saw was in a show that
Travelled by rail, and was a pretty big
concern. One end Of the Office car was
fitted up for a ticket window and pay
Office. In the other end was a faro law
out, and between were a couple of poker
rooms. The manager hired an expert old
gambler to deal faro. and that feature Of
the show was always running. II wasn't
intended TO catch the public, though. The
circus employees used to draw their pay at
one end Of the car, and go around and
blow il in ut the other end. Nearly all
gambled, and they couldn't resist the
temptation Of a coy game right under
their noses. Nearly all the salary money
came right back into the treasury. and il
didn't cost the management anything for
talent except the salary Of the faro dealer
and what he could hold ont on the quiet.
ITncla Rill in (bicaUn Herald